The Concorde 5S sits at the entry point of Ortofon's revitalised Concorde 5 series, a 2025 update to the iconic integrated DJ cartridge that has been part of the Ortofon catalogue since the original Concorde MkI launched in 1979. Positioned just below the premium Concorde Music range, the 5 series combines the trusted performance and form factor of the original design with current generator technology, and is offered in two stylus options: the spherical 5S and the elliptical 5E.
Concorde Cartridge Format
The Concorde format integrates the cartridge body and headshell into a single bayonet-mount assembly that drops directly onto an SME-style S-shaped tonearm. There are no four-pin headshell wires to align, no overhang to dial in, and no cantilever to expose during installation; the cartridge fits, locks, and tracks in seconds. This makes the Concorde a popular choice for DJs and for hi-fi listeners who want a straightforward replacement cartridge without the setup work usually involved.
Spherical Stylus
The 5S uses a spherical diamond stylus with an 18 um tip radius. A spherical profile is more forgiving than an elliptical or fine-line stylus, both during installation and in tracking mildly worn or imperfectly aligned records. Distortion is higher than the elliptical 5E variant on demanding inner-groove passages, but the trade-off is stable, low-stress tracking that suits everyday listening and casual cueing. Tracking force is set at 1.8 g.
Generator and Construction
The cartridge is a moving magnet design with an aluminium cantilever and OFC (oxygen-free copper) coil wire. Output is rated at 4.5 mV at 1 kHz, channel separation is greater than 20 dB and channel balance is within 2 dB at 1 kHz. The cartridge body is made from polymer and brass, finished in black, and the complete assembly weighs 18.5 g. It is intended to drive any standard MM phono input with 47 kOhm load resistance and 200 to 500 pF load capacitance.
Upgrade Path
The Concorde 5 body accepts the Stylus 5S, 5E, 10, 20, 30 and 40 replacement assemblies. A buyer who starts with the 5S can later swap to a more refined elliptical 5E or, further up the range, to one of the higher-tier Concorde stylus profiles without replacing the cartridge body itself.
